The Optative Mood: Perfect

47.35 As noted above, the optative can also be formed in the PERFECT tense to express COMPLETED aspect. Though the perfect optative is rarely encountered in Greek (S 696, G 252; see S 660 for the even rarer future optative!), its active form is relatively straightforward to identify. As with the PRESENT and AORIST, optative personal endings are simply added to the TENSE STEM, in this case, the PERFECT TENSE STEM.

Let’s look, for example, at this verb: λύω, λύσω, ἔλυσα, λέλυκα, λέλυμαι, ἐλύθην

• perfect active tense stem: λελυκ–

47.36

(cf. S 383, G 252)

47.37 In the PERFECT tense, the forms of the OPTATIVE mood proved difficult for Greeks to say. Sometimes in the ACTIVE voice, and always in the MIDDLE voice, Greek used the following PERIPHRASTIC forms (S 599, 694, G 253):

• perfect active:
  • PERFECT ACTIVE PARTICIPLE followed by the OPTATIVE form of εἰμί.
  • e.g. λελύκοι or λελυκὼς εἴη
• perfect middle:
  • PERFECT MIDDLE PARTICIPLE followed by the OPTATIVE form of εἰμί.
  • e.g. λελυμένος εἴη (never λελυ + ι + το)

47.38

(cf. G 253)